Cardinals set at Second Base?

One position the St. Louis Cardinals are set is the second base position. In fact, they have a surplus This is one area the front office can relax and to make room for the youngsters. The player being “dangled” as trade bait hit only .227 last year but, had 6 homers and was better than average defensively.

Oct 19, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman

(55) on the field during batting practice before game five of the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

But, if you believe that defensive infielders make their worth with the glove, this Cardinal should help the Redbirds gain a player or two in positions they really need. This player can also play other positions so; his flexibility should more than make up for his anemic offense.

If you think the player I’m referring to is Skip Schumaker, you would be wrong. The player I’m referring to in the previous paragraphs is Daniel Descalso. And he is being predicted to be the starting second baseman going into spring training. For your information, Skip hit .276 last year, had 1 homer and his defensive fielding percentage was higher than Descalso. And please, don’t give me the argument about range. How much range does a major league second baseman need to have; really, that is a weak argument.  And frankly, Schumaker’s range looked pretty darn good when he was playing second base. Schumaker can also play any outfield position.

Now, please understand; I’m not trying to “knock” Descalso; he can also play shortstop and third base.  This is about justification and other than age (Schumaker is 6 years older), its doesn’t make sense to me to be so willing to give up a player like Schumaker.

There is an upside for Schumaker. He is likely to get more playing time with another team. And he’s made it clear that he loves St. Louis, I think he would rather be on a team where he plays on a more regular basis before his career is over. So, for that reason, I hope the Cardinals are successful and find a team that will appreciate what Skip brings to the table.

That being said, I’m looking forward to Descalso “schooling” the young players and I hope Descalso himself has a career year. Skip will be missed but, as they say…that’s life in the bigs.

Thanks for reading.